What were Lincoln's motives in deciding for general emancipation? The emancipation itself changed the nature of the war. It reflected a fundamental change in Lincoln's own thinking about the relationship of slavery to the war as well as the future place of black people in American life. The point is not that Lincoln freed four million slaves with a stroke of the pen, but that the Proclamation was a key moment in the complex and prolonged historical process that led to the end of slavery in the United States, with consequences to the present.

The seminar will be held at the Woodrow Wilson Center, 6th Floor Moynihan Boardroom, in the Ronald Reagan Building, in Washington, D.C. Reservations are requested because of limited seating: HAPP@wilsoncenter.org or 202-691-4166. A photo is ID required for admittance to the building.